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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: October 21, 2002 Usability through bio-feedback -- "Euro RSCG Circle, a London based web marketing agency... is introducing techniques more commonly seen on a cinema screen to measure the effectiveness of sites. Using a technique known as bio-feedback, it has been wiring up willing guinea pigs to sensors measuring their heart rate and skin conductivity (basically, how much they sweat) as well as training a video camera on their face to record their expressions. The technology is roughly the same as that used in lie detector tests." (MadMan comments: How reliable do you think this method will be? Do you think you'd get agitated enough on an unusable site for this technology to be effective? I probably would get more annoyed as I got deeper into such a site, but if I left after just seeing the homepage, perhaps not.)
Reader Comments...
So a set up that looks like a ramshackle set from a 1950s B-movie could actually result in improvements to user satisfaction by a factor of up to 10, according to Coburn. In the example of thetrainline.com mentioned in this article, users stress levels could be reduced mainly by explaining the 'choice' of tickets and prices, as well as employing another 100 people in their call centre. Although in their defence if you visit a train station in the UK and watch people in the queue at the ticket office you will see a lot of stress being exhibited. Most websites obviously don't want to raise users' stress levels to a crescendo What about the ones that do? If my stress levels don't rise when I am visitng WebWord then I think it's a bit of a slow day. I would like to see some usability research based on the Star Sign of the users. Or perhaps do something based on colour theory or phrenology.
Look like another way to scam people with pseudo-science. Posted by: on October 21, 2002 07:03 AM
They don't even appear to know what biofeedback is. Given that usability testing is unreliable, and polygraph testing is unreliable as well, what happens when you combine them? Anything more than an impressive-looking test that may fool the credulous?
"Given that usability testing is unreliable, and polygraph testing is unreliable as well, what happens when you combine them?" Example: (Sarcasm) Nice! (/Sarcasm) Posted by: John S. Rhodes on October 21, 2002 11:42 AM
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